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Picture: Autumn leaves at Koya-san.
Middle of November is the main traveling season in Japan. The reason is a color-explosion of red and yellow by the native Japanese maple trees. Next to Sakura, the spring cherry blossom, this is when Japanese travel to Kyoto and other scenic locations for capturing the intensive colors on digital film.
Picture: Top, a pagoda in Koyasan. Bottom, the view from our room at the Shojoshin-in Temple in Koyasan.
If you think Japan and temples, you are surely think of Kyoto. Kyoto might have hundreds of temples and shrines but they are all scattered across a big city. And only very few temples offer accommodation. Should you hanker for a unique temple retreat on a sacred mountain, I strongly suggest you visit Koya-san, the temple retreat of the Shingon Buddhist sect. Koya-san is about two hours south from Osaka and located on a small mountain, accessible by cable-car or car. The town of 4'200 inhabitants was founded in the 9th century by the Buddhist monk Kobo Diashi Kukai, founder of the Shingon Buddhist sect. Koya-san is a UNSESCO World Heritage Site and has over 100 temples, almost sixty of them offering accommodation. The temples are surrounded by dense forrest and beautifully embedded into nature, not like in Kyoto. The lodgings vary in price and comfort. We stayed at the more comfortable Shojoshin-in temple and got a spacious tatami room with futons, a view on a small Japanese garden, a heater and external douche toilets. We were served an elaborate Shojin Ryori breakfast and dinner. This is a traditional vegan Buddhist meal (you can even get a beer at certain temples). Guests of the temple are invited to attend the early morning Shingon ceremony. Shingon Buddhism is especially famous for its fire ceremony and I recommend you attend one. For more information on Koya-san and temple lodgings, visit: Www.shukubo.net
Still among my all-time favorite means of transport! Here a picture of a rickshaw in Kyoto.
Picture: Hand-painted jeans at the Evisu flagship store in Osaka.
Osaka normally does not feature on tourists itineraries. In contrast with its big sister, Tokyo, it has less to offer. The Osaka castle, once the seat of Toyotomi Hideoshi, the first uniter of Japan, has been destroyed many times. The current castle was rebuilt in the 1930s and they have done a poor job. The shell looks old but the inside is all new. The only impressive feature of the castle are its historic walls with massive stones, weighing up to 103 tons. The sheer extent of the walls with moats is even today impressive. Osaka is also home of the Yakuza, the Japanese equivalent of the mafia. The members wear elaborate tattoos. Therefore it is not surprising that the hotel gym explicitly bans tattoos! And last but not least Osaka is home of one of the iconic Japanese denim brands, Evisu. The flagship store offers a dazzling variety of jeans and you can have your own logo painted on the pants. How cool is that! Picture: Osaka is famous for its fast and cheap food. This is Doutonbori street that offers a plethora of food stalls and entertainment options from Karaoke to men's clubs.
Picture: Osaka is after Toyko and Yokohama Japan's third biggest city.
Picture: Japanese women in Kimonos in the streets of Kyoto.
Boys at the age of five and girls at the age of three, five and seven celebrate a coming of age ceremony at the Shinto shrine. For this special occasion they get dressed up in traditional Japanese clothes. Another occasion to see Japanese in traditional clothes is at the weddings. Here are a few pictures of a wedding couple we saw in Kamakura. And last but not least the best place to spot women in Kimono is still Kyoto. Here are a few shots from there. Beautiful ladies!
Japanese Raku pottery has a 450 years tradition. It was initially inspired by a request by the founder of the Japanese tea ceremony, Sen no Rikyu. It is a uniquely Japanese technique basically practiced by the same Kyoto family for fifteen generations. The family has some interesting rules that guide the hand-over of the business. First, the family believes that if the father explains everything to the son, nothing is learned. So each generation has to look for its own glazing and forming technique. Secondly, the basic technique including kiln has not been changed for over 450 years. And thirdly, the father never comments on the son's works. And fourthly, the clay is prepared by one generation for the next generation. Therefore often the clay used is over sixty years old.
The current master of sixty years, Raku Kichizaemon XV, never asked his father anything, he rather experimented on his own. This was his way of rebellion against his father.
Kyoto has a wonderfully small museum dedicated to the marvelous history of the Raku family: http://www.raku-yaki.or.jp/e/index.html
Picture: Our futon bed on Tatamis in the Kankaso Ryokan, Nara.
Japan excels at preserving old customs, gently taking them through time, updating them if necessary. Stay for example at a traditional Japanese Ryokan and you will experience a night that is very similar to what samurais and noblemen experienced hundreds of years ago. Upon arrival you will treated to some hot green tea with sweets while the staff shows you around the facilities. You will sleep on soft futon beds in a tatami room. Dinner and breakfast will be served in your room by ever graceful staff. If you are lucky, your room will face a traditional Japanese garden (as ours at the Kankaso Ryokan in Nara or Shojoshin Temple in Koyasan). Most Ryokans have private bath tubs where you can soak in the boiling water together with other guests (men and women are separated). After having turned red like a lobster you will then gladly change into a soft and sweet-smelling Yukata, a long cotton indoor dress.
Staying at a Ryokan needs some coordination so do not be surprised if the Mama-san who runs the guesthouse will be very strict about timings for meals and bathing. In return you will be rewarded with a very sumptuous multiple-course meal (including breakfast). However, you have to be aware that you will be required to sit cross-legged on the Tatami floor, which might be taxing despite the small backrest provided. But once you got the knack of it, you will feel like reliving a time long go by.
A good way to book Ryokans or temple stays across Japan is through this website:
http://www.japaneseguesthouses.com/index.htm
Picture: The view from our room at the Kankaso Ryoykan in Nara.
Picture: One of the nine courses Ryokan dinner meal.
Picture: Where is the chicken hidding?
English is hardly spoken in Japan, nevertheless is it used surprisingly often in advertisements. So be not surprised to find “hormone beef” and “collagen chicken” on the menu! Here are a few more hilarious examples. Picture: I did not dare to try to remove the body!
Picture: I only got that two cows are used in this dish.
Picture: This also makes me crazy!
Picture: Japanese girls in Kyoto dressed up as Maikos.
The legend of the Geishas still lives on in Kyoto. Apparently they still exist. In another case of life imitating art female Japanese tourist can today turn themselves into Maiko look-alikes. The apprentice geisha, called Maiko, can be recognized by her ornament dress, elaborate hairstyle, white-painted face and long Obi on her back. For a couple of thousand yen the transformation looks perfect and a even photographer is included in the package. So these fake Maikos can be seen roaming around the streets of Eastern Gion in Higashiyama. Just do not ask them to dance or sing!
Question 1: I found this billboard in the streets of Osaka. What is on display and who uses it?
Question 2: This is a room I found in Gion, the entertainment district of Kyoto. What is it and again, who uses it?
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